Wasting Time and Seeking The Chic in Cambridge

Summer school will demand a lot of hard work and focused concentration. You'll have to avoid distractions: your roommates' loud music, the temptation to watch "Northern Exposure," and the city waiting just outside your entryway door. Good luck, Cambridge may be one of the most distracting towns in the country.

If it's people that attract your attention, Cambridge has a colorful assortment. And summer in the Square is prime people-watching season.

Au Bon Pain is a good place to start observing. Basically a fast-food joint that's been spruced up with outdoor tables and a never-ending classical music tape, it is a favorite summer hangout for students, tourists, and even some locals. In keeping with the Euro atmosphere, the fairly expensive menu is partly in French (that little chunk of bread is called a "petit pain," and you may feel compelled to say "kwa-sohn" for "croissant").

But the real attractions outside, especially in summer, when the patio overflows with every sort of person imaginable. Chess aficionados duke it out at the numerous game tables, kids with blue hair hang on the railings and exchange students converse in exotic languages.

Local street musicians provide the background music for all the activity. Magicians, jugglers, bible-thumping prophets, hare krishnas and activists with a cause will also vie for your attention in this busy area.

A few feet away from the bustling bakery is the Square's main gathering place for disaffected youth, The Pit, located next to the main T entrance. Some of the leather-clad denizens of The Pit will scowl at you as you walk by. But don't worry about that guy sporting the jacket with "I Kill Summer School Scum!" emblazoned on the back. He probably doesn't mean it.

If watching people on the big screen is more you speed, head to Loews Theater, on Church St. This six-screen theater shows all the mainstream highbrow movies as well as a rowdy showing of "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" on Friday and Saturday nights. The Janus Theater, on JFK Street, has only one screen. This makes for a limited selection but a cozier atmosphere.

The newly renovated Brattle Theater, in Brattle Square, is a favorite for those with sophisticated tastes. New art flicks, foreign films and classics are among the eclectic offerings. The schedule is a little tough to figure out since films rarely show more than once. but it's worth the effort. The theater also hosts readings by prominent authors.

If you like your drama in the flesh, check out the Loeb Drama Center on Brattle Street, home to the American Repertory Theatre. The renowned troop will perform Ibsen's downer "Hedda Gabler" and George Bernard Shaw's farce "Misalliance" this summer.

Catch a Rising Star is another option for live nighttime entertainment. The popular comedy club offers a full dinner and bar, and only costs eight bucks if you go at 11:30 p.m. Saturday night. It's usually crowded, so get tickets in advance.

Cafe Algiers offers an alternative for those who find stand-up comedy too gauche. A veritable mecca for the cultural elite, the Algiers is a good place to chat about your favorite post-colonialist scholar or huddle in a corner with some slim, tragic French novel. But the coffee and desserts, though expensive, are tasty enough to attract less intense visitors. Especially good is the "Arabian toast" (sticky triangles of pita bread, and the house specialty, a greenish coffee served with lots of whipped cream.

Algiers' only rival for the sophisticated coffee-guzzling crowd is Cafe Pamplona, on Bow St. The low ceiling, tiny tables, and dim lighting are all part of the bohemian charm. This basement cafe has a menu featuring lots of fancy coffees and is usually chock-full of aspiring poet-types.

When you're ready to shed your black turtleneck and emerge from the smoky cafe underworld, the Charles River offers more health-conscious activities. You can run, bike, skateboard, rollerblade or just lounge on its fabled banks.

On Sunday afternoons the city closes riverside Memorial Drive, and the area is transformed into a recreational nirvana called Riverbend Park. Hot dog and pretzel vendors lining the streets add to the festive atmosphere.

So study hard, you're here to learn. But remember, you're in Cambridge. Getting sidetracked will never be more fun.